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Spice
Spice was a nebulous term for an assortment of recreational substances, medicines, food seasoning, additives, and preservatives, illegal intoxicants, and other ingested non-nutritive semi-foodstuffs. Historically and colloquially, spice could also refer to any luxury good, such as exotic entertainment, precious metals, or rich foods; or any valuable smuggled goods, or any small goods that added variety to life ("spice is the variety of life" and "variety is the spice of life" are common catch-phrases). In the most specific sense, spice was a very valuable substance, produced organically by a biosystem, that enhanced biological processes or experiences. The most famous spices were mined mineral-based substances, but many spices came from other bioproductive processes. Types of Spice Andris Andris was, in its refined form, a white powder that was added to foods to enhance flavor and slow spoilage. Andris enhanced sensory experience by priming neural cells and increasing their efficiency and fire rate, making sensations more intense. Some andris users claimed that high-quality andris sharpened the senses to a high degree, and there was some evidence that the spice was mildly addictive. The preservative effect was a secondary side benefit. Andris was one of two spices mined on Sevarcos, the dry spice world. It was legal, but expensive; about 1 credit per dose (about 10 grams), cut to market standards. High-quality andris was illegal due to the danger involved, and went for up to 500 credits per dose on the black market. Standard-quality andris was just a spice with a slightly stimulating effect. High-quality andris (which costs up to 500 credits a does) increased Perception scores by +1D for one hour. Due to the increased sensitivity, damage done to the character while under the influence of the spice was increased by +1D. High-quality andris could be ingested directly, dissolved under the tongue, or taken with food. Carsunum Carsunum, the black Sevari spice, was much rarer, vastly more valuable, and highly illegal. Carsunum had several benefits, most notably the increase of all abilities: users became more intelligent, faster, stronger, and generally more able. Users also experienced a mild euphoria and increased confidence. This benefit had a dark side: after the effects wore off, users became listless, sometimes poisoned, and occasionally overdose fatally. For these reasons, use, distribution, and possession of carsunum was highly illegal. Carsunum goes for about 1,000 credits per dose on the black market. The now-vanished Healer's Guild once used carsunum as a cure-all. It was also sometimes mixed with ryloth spice as a treatment for hive virus infections. This formula was lost. Carsunum was also credited with aiding in meditative insight, lengthening life, and increasing health, but these were spurious claims at best. Carsunum increased all abilities and skills by +1D for 1D hours. At the end of the effect, the user took 1D damage for each hour under the influence (the carsunum bonus cannot be applied). Force skills and bonuses from Force Points were decreased by -1D per dose for the appropriate period. Glitterstim Glitterstim, the spice of Kessel, was by far the most valuable spice known in the galaxy. Glitterstim was ordinarily black, until exposed to direct light, when it "ripened," turning a glittering gold, sparkling with its chemical conversion. A side effect of this radiation-induced process, if consumed while the spice was discharging, was the effect of a very transient form of telepathy, allowing the user to probe another mind on one specific subject - say, the plans of a starship, inside stock-trading information, loyalty to the Empire, or any other specific subject. Glitterstim had no particular euphoric effect, although the user could concentrate on absorbing sensations or emotions of the mind being scanned. Kessel, the only known source of glitterstim, was owned by the Empire and mined by condemned criminals, slaves of the Empire. Nearly all mined glitterstim was Imperial property, and the vast majority of it was routed to Imperial security agencies - the ISB and Imperial Intelligence - and select high-level Imperial officials. A small portion of the rest was auctioned off to select Imperial client states and corporations, who used the spice for the same reasons as the Empire - internal security and espionage, and quiet high-level thrills. At each level, a very small percentage was skimmed from shipments and sold on the black market for incredibly high prices. Even on Kessel, a shadow industry of illegal mining skims spice for the black market. A dose of glitterstim went for a minimum of 6,000 credits a dose. Characters imbibing a glitterstim hit were considered Force-sensitive for 10 rounds. During this time, they could harness the powers of the Force to read the surface thoughts of a target person. This functioned just like the Force skill Receptive Telepathy, except that the user was restricted to using his or her Perception to make the difficulty roll. Those who already knew receptive telepathy derived no benefit from using glitterstim. Ryll Ryll was a spice mined on the Twi'lek homeworld, Ryloth. Ryll production was perfectly legal on Ryloth, and the substance was a highly-useful pharmaceutical ingredient, especially in pain relief. Ryll was also used illegally to produce several intoxicants, including hallucinogens of various kinds and intensities. Ryll spice had little effect on beings other than euphoria and interesting, sometimes disturbing, hallucinations. Death Stick Death sticks were a mild hallucinogen primarily sold on Outer Rim worlds, but could be found in abundance on Coruscant. Originally developed in the illegal pharmaceutical labs of CoCo Town, they were relatively cheap and were smuggled into the clubs of cities by slythmongers. The cilona extract offered euphoria in exchange for a horrific outcome, producing a twisted version of reality enhanced by bright colors. With each dose, the user's life was shortened, and the successive dosages took away larger chunks from a lifespan. With each successive dose, the desire for a harder reaction increased. It was thus very difficult for a youth to shake off their addiction without medical assistance. Death sticks came in two typical forms. In liquid form, they consisted of small tubes of red or yellow ixetal cilona fluid, which could be added to an alcoholic drink (some mixed them with Fizzyglug) or injected intravenously. A hardened variety containing dried granules of the drug could be smoked or pulverized and then insufflated. Users experienced a temporary explosion of bliss. Anyone who sampled a death stick must make a Difficult willpower skill check. If failed, the character suffered a -1D penalty to both his Dexterity and Knowledge attributes. After 1-2 hours, the effects wore off, and the character must attempt a Very Difficult Strength check. Failure indicated addiction and the loss of -1 pips of Strength (which was permanent, unless treated). Anyone wishing to break their addiction could seek treatment, but this was costly. At the GM’s option, lost points of Strength could be recovered by using the (A) medicine skill (difficulty equal to 20, +1 per lost point of Strength), or the Accelerate Healing or Accelerate Another’s Healing Force powers. Imperial Code Violations There were a number of Imperial Code restrictions on transport, sale, and possession of spice: *Possession, trafficking, and/or transport of illegal spice (carsunum or glitterstim, for example) was a class two violation, punishable by 5-30 years imprisonment, impounding of vessel and other involved properties, fine of up to 10,000 credits, and/or loss of pilot's and business certification. *Possession, trafficking, and/or transport of restricted spice (for example, high-grade andris or narcotic ryll) was a class three violation, with punishment of impounding of involved property, fine between 250-5,000 credits, imprisonment up to two years, and possible loss of certification. *Purchase or transportation of spice without a permit, or without proper receipt of fees, was a class four violation, with punishment of a fine up to 5,000 credits (usually on the low end), and imprisonment up to one month. *Violation of local import and export regulations (spice is regulated in almost every system) was a class five infraction, punishment usually being a fine between 100 and 5,000 credits. *Local system laws might also apply, and these punishments might also include local system imprisonment and fines, perhaps more severe than Imperial punishment - some spice smugglers have paid minor fines to Imperial courts, then been arrested, tried, and executed by a more severe local magistrate. Category:Medicine and Drugs